Steps
by Gracie Becker
Summary: This story is the second in a series about Alex, Jo, and Alex's daughter, Charlotte. At 17, Charlotte has just become a model in Los Angeles. Alex, her over-protective father, arranges for supervision but the situation proves challenging. Charlotte's life in LA spirals out of control. Meanwhile, back in Seattle, Jo begins her last year of residency and hopes to be Chief Resident.
1. Chapter 1 - Residential Life

**Chapter 1 –** **Steps**

 **Residential Life**

Spring was in full swing, and Charlotte Karev could not have been happier. She was moving on to a new adventure. Having said goodbye to the love of her life, Matt, had been heartbreaking. She had loved him so deeply and she continued to love him. However, Charlotte simply didn't see how she could follow her dreams and remain with Matt. His vision of their future differed so greatly from hers. _Because_ she loved him, she had decided to break up with him. As she said to him, he deserved someone who wanted the life he desired.

Charlotte was determined to leave the sadness and grief in Seattle. Moving to Los Angeles provided a new start. As far as Charlotte was concerned, this chapter of her life would be a time of joy, fun, and adventure. Modeling contract in hand, she would be free of her father's overprotective eyes and rules.

The move and transition to Los Angeles went well for Charlotte. Her agent Sasha had managed to book multiple print ads, and Charlotte, of course, relished the attention. Landing contracts with a makeup line and a perfume company, Charlotte's modelling was evolving far more quickly than typical. Her ability to charm the upper management with her impeccable manners combined with her playful and daring behavior with others made her an agent's dream client. Charlotte Hadley, as Sasha had renamed her, was experiencing the beginnings of a brilliant career. Her new name, in Charlotte's estimation, was yet another way of recognizing that she was beginning a new chapter in her life.

Charlotte's move had been far more challenging for Alex than anyone else. He often sent texts and left voicemails for his daughter. The messages were usually answered with a brief "so busy, Dad, but doing great. Love you!" With Charlotte away, there was no longer a breath of life and joy in the house. Alex and Jo continued to be stressed as they tried to conceive. Life was heavy for Alex.

Charlotte spent her first two weeks in Los Angeles living in an apartment complex for young models. She found the supervision and the catty behavior of her fellow models to be oppressive. After two weeks in the model apartments, Charlotte convinced Alex to let her move into her own place with a nanny. There was really no great name for the women in their 20s and 30s who lived with young models and promised to see to their care, safety, and health. Once Charlotte understood that all the young models who lived on their own had some sort of oversight and called their caretaker a nanny, Charlotte was able to get over feeling as if she were 5 and under the care of a babysitter.

Reluctantly and with complaint, Alex had flown down to interview nannies and help Charlotte move into a new place. Charlotte's new friends were living in a complex where the residents were a mix of young models and actors, production staff, and non-Hollywood types. Given her contract, Charlotte was able to easily afford the rent in the gated, highly secure complex.

After interviewing what seemed like 100s of potential nannies, Alex hired Ivy Brighton-Greer. Ivy was in her mid-20s and had been raised in London. Her manners and charm were impeccable, and her references were impressive. She had served as a nanny for two other young models who both spoke highly of her and whose parents adored her. Synchronicity and comradery were instantly apparent between Ivy and Charlotte.

After settling details and spending a week with Charlotte, Alex headed back to rainy, gray, springtime Seattle. While in LA, their time together had buoyed Alex's spirit. He was able to catch up on her adventures, and he loved hearing all her stories. Laughing frequently with her brought home just how desperately he missed his daughter.

Returning to hospital life in Seattle was difficult. In the first few days back, Alex found himself ill tempered and cranky more often than not. The required meeting on Alex's schedule shortly after his return did nothing to lighten his mood. Meetings were the bane of Alex's existence.

At this particular meeting, the attending physicians were gathered in the Conference Room. The group had been meeting for nearly 3 hours, and Owen was hoping to funnel the discussion down to the few final candidates for Chief Resident. The discussions and arguments were beginning to recirculate. Owen sighed heavily as Webber continued his third round of advocacy for his selected resident.

Each attending had a unique approach and his or her own feelings associated with this annual event. Arizona eagerly looked forward to this meeting each year; it was fun considering which residents would excel as Chief Resident. She loved pondering the possibilities and imagining how each resident would handle the various tasks of the post. Derek also imagined each resident and how he/she would fill the role. He would create a grid, write each candidate's name in the far left column and then ask himself, "What one skill or ability does this resident still need to learn?" Once he determined the answer for each of the candidates, he would then ask himself if the position of Chief Resident would offer the challenge that particular resident needed. Meredith usually went with her observations and with her gut – for years, she had watched these residents grow and learn. Determining Chief Resident was usually a clear process for her; the best candidate usually seemed obvious. Like Alex, Callie dreaded this meeting. She found the repetitious droning on and on to be tiring. Sudoku was her friend as she sat in the room waiting for the vote to be called. Bailey spent her time observing the other doctors and considering their input. Her approach was to enter the room without a particular candidate in mind and to let the conversation guide the outcome.

This year was Alex's first year at the meeting that would select a Chief Resident. His "c'mon already" mindset yearned for quick decisions and less discussion. As the meeting drug on and on, Alex wondered to himself if he would end up dying in that room. No meeting should last three hours. Besides, he wanted to check in on his patients in the PICU and NICU. He used every ounce of self-control to keep from bellowing, "For God's sake, a baby's life is more important than all this talk, let's just decide already!"

Meredith looked at Alex and nudged him on the elbow. He turned to her with an angry expression and mouthed, "What?"

She whispered back, "You looked like you were about to fall asleep."

Alex rolled his eyes as he interrupted Derek's plea that Jo be selected, "She does have strong skills, no doubt about it, but imagine Edwards as Chief Resident. She seems like a natural." Alex hoped to steer the conversation away from Jo's name again. The last thing he wanted was Jo to be chosen; serving as Chief Resident would mean less time with her and more tears from her.

"Yeah, Hallins would be a great possibility too. He is phenomenally organized and diligent," Alex affirmed, again keeping the conversation focused on anyone but Jo.

Meredith wrote a note on her legal pad and moved the paper in front of him. _What are you up to?_

Alex glanced at the words and tried to respond by looking puzzled. _Nothing,_ he wrote back.

Meredith slid the pad back and wrote, _B.S. You keep steering the conversation_ _away_ _from Jo._

Alex read the note as Meredith slid the pad in front of him and mouthed, "Shut up." He turned away and offered insights about how another candidate would be a fantastic fit for the role.

Meredith pursed her lips and wrote, _Alex. Fess up. What's your deal?_

Alex grumbled and moved the pad onto his lap. He scrawled his response,

 _I don't want her stuck in an office setting up playgroups and playdates for residents and attendings, listening to everyone whine about their placements._

 _If she's doing any playing, I want it to be with me._

 _As CR, she'll be even busier than the other 5_ _th_ _years and I'll never see her._

 _She's a surgeon not a secretary. She needs to be in the OR._

 _People would eat her alive. She's too nice to be CR._

Meredith read the notes quickly as Hunt called out, "Are there any final thoughts to be shared? Please do not repeat yourselves. I'd like to hear from those who haven't provided much input."

Meredith caught Hunt's eye and he called on her before someone else began speaking. "We have many great residents to choose from this year. In their own way, each one would bring something to the role and would also gain valuable learning from it. One name that has been brought up in passing but not fully discussed yet is Jo Karev. Dr. Karev is a fine surgeon with already honed skills in the OR. Serving as Chief Resident would provide an opportunity for her to gain other skills she will need as a doctor in the years to come. She needs to learn how to be firm without being emotional and how to express her expectations effectively. This post would offer her an opportunity to deeply address her growing edges."

Nearly all the other doctors in the room nodded in agreement. Alex kicked Meredith under the table and interjected, "I know Dr. Karev better than anyone here, and I can say with confidence that Chief Resident is _not_ a fit."

Meredith wrote on the legal pad, _WTH, Alex? Don't compromise someone's education just because you're worried about the frequency of sex and snuggles._ Alex grabbed the pad to read Meredith's words as soon as she stopped writing, then he ripped out the paper, crumpled it up and stuck it in his lab coat pocket.

Owen could feel both the tension and the exasperation rising, so he announced, "We'll take a 10 minute break then re-gather to vote. If you have further input you want to share, feel free to discreetly share your thoughts with your colleagues out in the hallway or in here." The doctors all scooted their chairs from the table and began to filter out of the room. Some called up to their units, others began to walk a lap in the halls, and the last few grouped together and headed to the cafeteria for some coffee.

As Alex approached the stairwell, Meredith and Arizona each approached him, simultaneously calling out, "Alex!" Alex turned to see them approaching and shook his head as he headed down the stairs.

Meredith called out, "Dammit, Alex. Give me 60 seconds. That's all I ask."

Alex stopped but continued facing down the stairs. As he looked at his watch, he responded, "Fine. Go." Meredith stood right in front of Alex and began reading him a riot act. Arizona joined in the tirade, advocating for Jo as the most natural fit. At exactly 60 seconds, Alex began walking down the stairs again. He called out, "Thanks for the input, doctors. We're done."

Meredith and Arizona began their own conversation, talking about how Karev had lost professional perspective and about how great the Chief Resident post would be for Jo.

The group of attendings gathered back in the conference room minutes later. Before any more speeches or arguments could be shared, Owen explained, "Each of you have a piece of blue paper in front of you. Please write the name of the resident you would like to see as next year's Chief Resident. Then pass the papers toward me, and we'll see if there is a clear consensus."

Everyone did as Owen requested, and then Owen reviewed the votes. Every single paper, except one, listed Jo's name. The one exception stated, _Anyone but Jo Karev_ in Alex's familiar scrawl. Owen sighed, looked at Alex, and then announced, "We have a tremendously clear consensus. Dr. Karev will serve as Chief Resident next year. Let's keep this under wraps until I post it at 6:00pm. Thanks everyone."

Alex hightailed it out of the conference room and headed down the stairs to the cafeteria. He was already a few minutes late to meet Jo for lunch. He texted her, _On way._ Jo wrote back, _I've got a table and grabbed for both of us. Just come to our regular spot. xxoo._ _._ Alex grinned and guffawed at the emoticon frenzy. Jo was both darling and nauseating when she used all the cutesy stuff.

At lunch, Jo was giddy with anticipation about the upcoming Chief Resident posting. She knew better than to ask Alex questions about the meeting, other than whether or not the meeting was done. As he took a big bite of his burger, he nodded that it was and said, with a mouthful of food, "Three freakin' hours of blah, blah, blah. I thought I was going to die."

He swallowed his bite as Jo giggled in response, "Sounds like a barrel of monkeys."

Alex ran his hand through his hair and yawned, "And I feel like crap. I've got a pounding headache and my shoulder is all out of whack from sleeping weird. I'm gonna go home and try to get some sleep."

Alex stood up and leaned in to kiss Jo, who asked, "You'll come back for the posting tonight? I'll want you there whether I'm appointed or someone else is."

Alex just closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he mumbled, "We'll see."

Jo stood up, looked at Alex with loving concern, and stroked his cheek, then his forehead. "I hope you feel better, babe. I love you."

Alex responded, "Yeah, me too," as he kissed her forehead and as their lips met in a goodbye kiss.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Strain of Two Careers

**Chapter 2 –** **Steps**

 **The Strain of Two Careers**

For Jo, the clock seemed to move backwards all afternoon. Time dragged on until 5:45 finally arrived. Jo was waiting for the posting in the main lobby by the staircase and tried to call Alex. The call went to voicemail after a few rings. She hung up without leaving a message and decided to text him, _You coming? Feeling any better?_ Her text went unanswered as Stephanie approached Jo. The two had promised to support and celebrate for whoever was appointed. Both of them were convinced that the other one would get the job. Jo looked down at her phone briefly as Chief Hunt approached. She'd hoped Alex had responded, but he hadn't. _Maybe he's here and just hasn't seen me yet,_ she thought as she gazed around.

Stephanie pulled Jo toward the bulletin board and said, "He's posting it, Jo. C'mon!" Jo let Steph tug her toward the board. Stephanie saw Jo's name first, turned to her and hugged her, saying, "You'll do great! Congratulations."

Jo was stunned and smiled as she let the news sink in. She continued to look around for Alex and met Dr. Grey's eyes. Dr. Grey looked at Jo from a distance and offered what seemed to be a concerned smile with a story behind it. Jo grinned in response. Chief Hunt patted Jo on the shoulder and various friends and colleagues approached her to offer their congratulations.

The group made their way to Joe's Bar, and Jo continued to try to get a hold of Alex. She knew he could be sleeping, but it seemed unusual that she hadn't heard anything in the last hour and a half. Various friends bought Jo drinks and celebrated with her. The mood was festive and joyous. Meredith, Callie, and Maggie sat at a table watching the residents celebrate and laugh. Callie looked around and asked, "Wait. Where the hell is Karev?"

Meredith responded, "Pouting."

Callie rolled her eyes and growled as she picked up her phone and began to call Alex. She offered, "That's crap. He should be here celebrating with her."

"What?!" came the angry answer from Alex.

Callie ignored his mood and said, "Get your butt down here, Karev. Your girlfriend is celebrating, and you're not here with her. That's dumb."

Alex said, "I feel like crap, Torres. I came home after the meeting and have been sleeping since. Are you the one who keeps texting and calling me, because it's waking me up."

Callie looked puzzled and responded, "Ummm…no. This is my first call to you. Do you really feel so crappy that you can't even rally for a little bit and join in Jo's celebration? She'll remember you weren't here, you know."

Alex sighed audibly into the phone, "Thanks for the relationship advice, Dr. Phil. I'm going back to sleep. Tell Jo I love her."

With that, Alex hung up as Callie insisted, "No, Alex, you tell her…that." Callie turned to the others at the table and said, "He hung up on me."

Meredith suggested, "He's being a McAss because he didn't want her to get it." Callie looked at Meredith and asked her to clarify. Meredith explained the contents of their notes.

Maggie shook her head and said with a sigh, "Oh…Alex."

Jo caught the group's eyes from across the room and headed over to their table, bouncing with every step. Callie smiled as she said without moving her lips, "She's coming over here. Be quiet about all that."

All of the women pasted on overly-enthusiastic smiles as Jo approached and said, "Thanks so much for being here! Have any of you seen Alex?"

Callie put her hand on Jo's shoulder and responded, "Sweetie, I just talked to him. Sounds like he's coming down with something, but he said to tell you he loved you."

Jo looked puzzled – why would Alex talk to Torres and not respond to any of Jo's texts or calls? Jo said, "Oh. Thanks. I think I'm going to head home and check on him."

Meredith jumped off her barstool and said, "I can give you a ride. You're in no shape to drive and I was just getting ready to leave." Meredith decided to just drop Jo off, even though Jo invited her to come in. Meredith knew better than to bug Alex when he was in a mood.

Alex was laying on the couch, eating chips and watching an old episode of Kung Fu. Jo entered the house and burst in sharing her big news, "I got it, babe! I got it! I'm going to be Chief Resident!"

Alex barely looked up and offered a half-hearted, "Congrats," without much fervor.

Jo snuggled up to Alex, whose only response was to flop his arm around her shoulders and tip the chip bag toward her.

Jo suggested, "If you're feeling rotten, that might not be…"

Alex interrupted grumbling, "Stop. I don't want to hear it. They're hitting the spot."

Jo looked straight ahead at the TV and said flatly, "You're kind of killing my buzz."

Alex squeezed Jo into his chest and kissed her head, "Sorry. I'm crabby. I know."

After a few minutes of the dreadfully boring show that seemed to be captivating Alex, Jo began tracing Alex's beard and cheekbones. She said, "You know… I'll have my own office next year. I'll have to make sure there's a comfy couch so we can have sex in there."

Alex laughed gently, "I like sex." Jo moved onto his lap and they began kissing and undressing.

As they lay beside one another after sex, Jo stroked Alex's hair and asked, "What's wrong, babe? You seem like you're in another world tonight."

Alex responded, "I'm just tired."

Jo asked again, "Really? Nothing else? You're ok?

Alex continued to look at the TV and shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. I'm just tired. That's all."

Jo could tell she wasn't getting the whole story, "Ok, but it seems like there's something more going on." She stroked his cheek and gently tried to move his chin so he was looking at her.

Alex roared, "Stop. I feel crappy, ok? Enough." Even in his nastiness, he leaned down and kissed the top of Jo's head before he stomped up the stairs toward their bedroom.

Jo sat on the couch alone feeling confused and defeated as she wondered what the hell was up with Alex. As she grabbed the remote to change the channel, her phone buzzed with a series of texts of the group at Joe's begging her to come back to the bar. She laughed at the selfies and efforts, but decided not to respond. If they knew she was still awake, they'd only badger her until she showed up at the bar. As the night ebbed on and as her body absorbed all the celebratory alcohol, Jo ended up asleep on the couch while an infomercial for a set of amazing steak knives blared from the TV.

The next morning, Alex left before Jo woke up. When the sun hit her eyes, Jo woke with a start as her heart skipped a beat. "Oh, crap, what time is it?!" she said aloud. She looked at her watch – she had 30 minutes to get showered, dressed, and to rounds. She rushed upstairs to get ready and was surprised to discover that Alex wasn't home. He seldom left without her in the morning. Until this morning, he always woke her up to say goodbye on the rare occasions that they drove separately. Jo wondered if he was still feeling rotten or if he was pissed.

Late for rounds, she scooted into the back of the group as they rounded on the third patient. Jo saw Alex and approached him. As Stephanie offered a summary of the patient's situation, Jo mumbled to Alex, "Hey…you didn't wake me up."

Alex looked at her with mild contempt and responded, "Why would I?"

Jo looked him in the eye, "To say goodbye? To make sure I was moving?"

Alex shook his head and looked away as he said, "Whatever. You're late. Not ok." and walked toward the next patient's room.

In the hallway, Jo grabbed her phone and texted, _Wtf?_ Alex reached into his lab coat pocket when it vibrated with a text alert. He saw her text and deleted it, throwing his phone back into the pocket. Alex concluded rounds, stating, "Edwards, can you prep 2165 and scrub in with me? Hallins, you're with Grey. Wakefield, Shepherd. Churchill, you're with Torres. Karev, scut - supervise the interns."

Jo stepped out into the hallway after Alex. Alex was steps ahead, apparently fuming. Jo called out, "Alex!" Alex kept walking, so Jo called out, "Dr. Karev!" Alex continued to walk away. Jo then yelled, "Alexander Michael Karev!"

Alex stopped in his tracks, having heard his full name in a way he hadn't heard it in nearly 20 years, "Really?!" Alex rolled his eyes and grumbled.

Jo walked the final steps toward Alex, pushed his shoulders and said, "What the hell is your problem, Alex?! Are you pissed I went to Joe's without you and came home buzzed? Did I say or do something that pissed you off?"

Alex gave his familiar sideways half-grin and shook his head, "No. no. I've been tired. Stop badgering me."

Alex guided Jo into the nearby on-call room. Jo responded, "Oh, hell no, pal."

Alex responded, "Shut up. We're moving so we aren't going ballistic in the hallway."

Jo followed Alex into the room with a soft, "Oh."

After Alex closed the door to the on-call room, Jo walked over to the farthest wall and leaned against the window sill. She looked over at him with a look of confusion and frustration.

Alex offered his best sideways grin and kidded, "Wanna have angry sex?"

Jo responded with angry intensity, "No, Alex, I want to come over there and beat your chest until I successfully soften your bullshit bravado exterior and you tell me what the hell is up with you."

Alex stared at her in response. Jo pleaded, "Talk to me, Alex. Talk. To. Me. It seems like you have no problem today talking to Dr. Grey or Dr. Robbins or anyone else, but you've been treating me like the enemy. You've been avoiding me. You've been caustic. Don't act like this - it doesn't work. What the hell?"

Alex sighed heavily and looked up to the ceiling. "Can I come over there or are you going to hurt me?"

Jo moved to sit on the bed under the window, she lightly patted it as she looked toward him.

Alex slowly slinked over and sat about 3 feet from her as he gazed forward, "I don't know where to start or what to say or what to share."

Jo firmly suggested, "Just start, Alex."

Alex shook his head, "It's not that easy."

Jo sighed as her voice cracked, "Are you leaving me?"

Alex's eyes pooled with tears as he scooted toward her and put his hand on her knee, "No. God no. Stop going into Crazytown."

Jo lowered her shoulders and raised her eyebrows as she looked at him in response, "Ok, Angel of Evasion."

Silence permeated the room as Alex searched for where to begin. The last thing he wanted to do was burst her bubble about becoming Chief Resident, but the second to last thing he wanted was for her to be Chief Resident. He began, "You know I love you, right?"

Jo shook her head as tears pooled in her eyes, "I thought I knew that, Alex, but I can't begin to make heads or tails of the last 24 hours with you. I received amazing news and you didn't answer my texts. I went to celebrate with a huge group of our friends, and you didn't answer anyone's calls. You didn't come down. You weren't there at a highpoint in my life."

Alex interrupted, "I told you earlier yesterday I was tired and going home."

Jo insisted, "Let me finish, Alex. Yes, I do know that you love me, but you don't make sense when you act so indifferent about my joy. You could've just texted back, 'Congrats, too tired, babe.' you know?"

Alex looked down at the floor then up at her, "I was trying to stay clear and just let you celebrate."

Jo retorted, "And to me that said 'I could care less'...why would you want to stay clear anyway?"

Alex began to answer and Jo put her finger against his lips as she offered, "You don't want this for me, do you?" Alex looked at her deeply with his dark eyes, remaining in silence.

Jo's voice cracked as she inquired, "Do you think I'm unqualified?"

Alex shook his head and lowered his eyebrows, "No. Crap. You are more than qualified...hey, I don't really want to burst your bubble. I've spent the last 24 hours trying to be happy for you while feeling sorry for myself. I'm an ass. I admit it. Again."

Jo looked puzzled, "Why would you feel sorry for yourself? Because you weren't Chief Resident?"

Alex scoffed, "Uh, no. Definitely no."

Jo shook her head, "Ok..."

Alex continued, "I want you to succeed. I want you to do well in life and in your career. I love you and want the best for you."

Jo interrupted, "You have a funny way of showing that, Alex."

Alex agreed, "I know. Hear me out. It's complicated. I have no question whatsoever that you could be a great Chief Resident. I think it could be good for you in a lot of ways - teach you stuff and harden you up a little." Jo lowered her brows and looked in his eyes longingly. Alex continued, "I love you and I love us. If you are Chief Resident, your hours are going to double, you'll be stuck in an office half the time which means less time in the OR...less time with me, less time with us. And I feel like a completely selfish, whiny ass for saying that."

Jo leaned into Alex's chest and hugged him, "Oh, Alex."

Alex quickly responded, "Stop it. Whatever."

Jo argued, "You stop. You are sweet."

Jo grasped Alex's hand in hers and suggested, "Can we just sit here a minute and be quiet together?" Alex agreed. All sorts of thoughts floated in their heads: Alex wondered to himself if his words were unrealistic and selfish, Jo considered everything that had happened in the last day and a half. A peaceful silence calmed the previously tear-ridden room as they lay down beside one another.

After a few minutes, without moving away from his chest, Jo asked, "You didn't vote for me, did you?"

Alex looked up to the ceiling, "Why does that matter?"

Jo responded, "You didn't. Admit it." Alex asked, "What's your point, Jo?"

Jo pulled away gently, stroked his cheek and looked in his eyes, "You matter...we matter...a helluva lot more than some stupid title that comes with an office."

Alex argued, "Don't say that. I won't be the reason you make a big decision that affects your career."

Jo offered, "You weren't Chief Resident and your career is fine. Dr. Torres was fired as Chief Resident and her career is great. That's just stupid, Alex."

Alex looked at her and took her chin in his hand, "It's bigger than that. What about when you're considering fellowships and my career is established here? What if you receive some kickass offer on the other side of the country someday? What about the timing on getting pregnant? There's a lot to consider, and I hate that it all piles on."

Jo grimaced, "Alex, let's stick with one issue at a time. If I'm going to win a Harper Avery someday, I'm not sure being Chief Resident is going to cause the selection committee to choose me over someone else. That's just dumb. Now, when fellowships come and when possibilities arise, we can figure that out together - not by you stewing and avoiding me and not by me just assuming the news is amazing and thinking there's nothing to talk about. As far as a baby goes, you know we're still trying to figure that one out. No matter what, we'll make us-decisions, not me-decisions, because we love each other, because what really, truly matters most is us."

Alex squeezed her shoulders toward him and leaned his head on hers, "Well, this part of us says to accept Chief Resident if you really want it."

Jo said, "How about I tell Hunt I need a few days to consider the offer? Then we - you and I - can actually talk about and consider what it would mean. I was excited because it felt like a real honor for the attendings to choose me, but it's not just about what a bunch of people think about me. What matters more than anything is what we think about our options and what we decide together."


	3. Chapter 3 - All I Wanna Do Is Have Fun

**Chapter 3 –** **Steps**

 **All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun**

"We're going to be late for the shoot, Charlotte. Let's go," Ivy called out from the kitchen.

Charlotte came around the corner, yawned, and poured herself some coffee. In the months away from home, she'd discovered the wonderful benefits of caffeine. It especially hit the spot after a late night like the night before. She asked Ivy, "How do you do it? We were out until 2 a.m., and here you are chipper and shiny at 7."

Ivy patted Charlotte on the shoulder and smiled, "Just lucky, I guess."

As Ivy navigated their way through LA traffic, Charlotte dozed. When her text tone sounded, however, he eyes opened wide as she jumped to find her phone. Seconds later, she sighed when she saw the text was from Matt. Even though his classes didn't begin until mid-September, somehow Matt had discovered a way to move to campus in early August. Maybe he was living off campus or had purchased a house nearby, Charlotte really wasn't sure. Nonetheless, he'd been texting and trying to call non-stop since he arrived in California. Charlotte had ignored every attempt. "Crap. He's like a homeless puppy," Charlotte groaned.

"Matt again?" Ivy inquired.

"You guessed it. The poor guy won't let go," Charlotte complained.

"Char, maybe you should just invite him down and show him the time of his life. What the hell? You don't have to make some ridiculous life commitment. Just get laid and have some fun," Ivy suggested. Had Alex had any idea this was the advice of his stand-in, he would have blown a blood vessel. Charlotte, on the other hand, had grown accustomed to Ivy's wild ways with her charges and her fake purity in front of parents.

Charlotte tilted her head back and forth, "Hmmm….there's some truth to that. You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not," Ivy promised. "What's this text say? I love hearing his desperation."

Looking at the text, Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Oh this one is boring. It says, _I'm empty without you. Please call or text. Worried about you."_

Ivy urged, "Text him back!"

"What should I say? Hey, come to LA and get laid?" Charlotte joked. Charlotte began typing on her iPhone, then read the draft aloud, " _So sorry haven't been in touch. Been busy. When can you visit?"_

"Perfect. Confident, kind, but not desperate," Ivy observed.

Matt immediately sent a response, _Pretty open. What's your availability?_ Then another text arrived just behind the first, _So glad to hear from you._

"See – desperate, lost puppy dog hoping for shelter. It's sad, really," Charlotte surmised. She read the texts aloud and inquired, "What's my schedule the rest of this week?"

"It's light. You have a shoot on Thursday in the evening at a beach around sunset and Jocelyn is having that party on Friday night. Between now and then, we have nothing after this morning's shoot," Ivy offered.

Charlotte sent a text saying, _I'm open from 2pm today until Thursday afternoon. Come on down._

Again, without much delay, Matt responded, _On my way. See you around 2? Address?_

Charlotte responded with her address and shared with Ivy, "I kind of feel sorry for him. Do you suppose he is just waiting every second for a reply? 'On my way'? Dude, don't you have any semblance of a life at all?"

Ivy laughed heartily, "With your cunning wiles and endless charm, you've captured poor Matty's little heart, Char."

She opened her purse and pulled out what appeared to be a permanent marker; the container actually stored her cocaine.

Ivy commented, "You know I'm ok with you doing that, but you'd best be discreet while we're driving."

Charlotte crumpled up her face as she leaned down toward her own lap, snorted a line, and grumbled, "I know…ahhhh. Now I'm ready for the shoot."

"Well, here we are," Ivy said as the pulled up to the studio. "Want me to come in and babysit or be on my way?"

"Whatever. These guys are all credible and cool," Charlotte confirmed. Ivy chose to run a few errands while Charlotte posed and looked beautiful for the cameras.

"Call me when you're ready," Ivy offered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

The shoot, an ad campaign for a medication, lasted until noon. The ladies headed back to the apartment and Charlotte found herself surprisingly worried about seeing Matt. "Why am I so antsy? It's Matt. Matt. Why am I uneasy about seeing him? He's harmless."

"You're uneasy because everyone falls in love with lost little puppy dogs looking for love. You're worried that he's going to look at you with his big, darling eyes and you'll end up adopting him," Ivy deduced.

"I dunno. It's been 5 months since I saw him," Charlotte shared. "Like, a crazy 5 months full of change. I'm not who I was back in Seattle. What if he is? What if he hasn't changed at all? Do you think he's changed?"

"From what you tell me, I'm guessing he hasn't changed much," Ivy theorized. "Should we stop and pick up some beer? Is he a drinker?"

"I doubt he'll drink, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared," Charlotte advised.

"So how are you going to hide your white friend there?" Ivy wondered aloud.

Charlotte shrugged, "It's not like I do it non-stop. Besides, he won't be going through my purse."

When they pulled up to the house, Matt was already there and waiting. He'd been able to enter the gates using the code Charlotte shared with him. His familiar Mustang was parked in front of the apartment and he was sitting on the cement stairway in a predictable Ralph Lauren button down shirt and cashmere sweater. Charlotte's heart skipped a beat when she spotted him. As she unbuckled her seatbelt, she exclaimed, "OMG, that's him." Ivy grinned as they pulled in.

When Matt saw Charlotte's car approaching, he approached the passenger side of the car as Ivy parked. Somehow, he was able to maintain a hearty grin and not burst into a beaming smile. He opened the door for Charlotte, leaned in, and grabbed her thin body. He picked her up and held her in front of him, saying, "My God, Spider, you look gorgeous. Can I kiss you?"

Charlotte, reveling in the attention, responded, "Of course." She leaned toward his lips and the two kissed extensively until Ivy cleared her throat loudly. "Matt, this is Ivy. Ivy, Matt," Charlotte said as she introduced them. They shook hands and then Matt asked if there was anything that needed to be carried inside. Ivy handed him a couple grocery bags and thanked him.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Ivy emptied the grocery bags and excused herself to the pool. Matt and Charlotte sat in the living room after grabbing something to drink.

Matt's eyes were overflowing with love. With gentle and familiar care, he asked, "I have missed you so much, Charlotte. How have you been?"

"Matty, I've been incredible. I love living here, the modeling is going well, I just found out my mom was named Chief Resident. Life is pretty damn great. How about you?" Charlotte shared.

Hesitating and staring deeply into Charlotte's eyes, Matt answered, "I've really missed you, babe." Charlotte leaned over and kissed him passionately. Gently allowing himself to fall flat onto the couch, Matt drew Charlotte on top of him as they kissed and groped like old times. After a few minutes, Charlotte pulled away and stood up, inviting Matt to join her in her bedroom. Matt sat up, grasped her hand, but then pulled her onto his lap. "Charlotte, we're…ummm…we're not together. I'm sorry. I crossed the line, I shouldn't have kissed you when I saw you outside. I misled you."

"We _can_ be together…as together as you like," Charlotte suggested provocatively. "C'mon, Matt, we've missed each other."

Matt shook his head, chuckling, "I'd love to, babe. Really, I would. But, ummm…we did what we did because we were in a committed relationship before God. I…uh…I didn't mean to imply that coming to see you would lead to…well, you know."

"Sex?" Charlotte asked boldly. Matt nodded and stroked Charlotte's hair.

"My goal is driving down was not to get laid. I want to hear updates and see your beautiful face. I've missed you and I've been aching to see you. I'm not opposed to getting back together, but we'd need to take it slow, you know?" Matt gently demanded.

 _Obviously, he's still nuts about Jesus,_ Charlotte thought to herself, not able to recall the last time she'd been to church nor the last time she'd actually prayed. She smiled gently at him and faked her best good-girl manner, "Of course, Matty. I guess I was just so happy to see you. I'm sorry…I was carried away." She ran her hand through his hair and honestly admitted, "I've missed this."

The two sides of Charlotte were pushing and pulling at each other as she simultaneously yearned to return to who she once was and ached to pull Matt toward who she'd become. Seeing him made her deeply comprehend how drastically she'd changed in the last 5 months.

Matt scooted himself out from under Charlotte and basically lifted her and placed her on the couch in her own seat. "So, fill me in," Matt invited with his prep school grin.

Charlotte looked up to the ceiling and raised her shoulders, offering a coquettish smile, "I'm not sure what to say. A lot of my life is pretty routine – Ivy and I drive to shoots, I get my makeup and hair done, I pose, we leave. Sometimes we head to the beach, but I have to be really careful about sun exposure or I could lose gigs. I hang out with friends. School is kind of an independent study arrangement. Every now and then, there's some fun social event."

"You've made lots of friends here?" Matt asked enthusiastically.

Charlotte smiled, "Yeah. I've met so many people. You probably saw last week's issue of People, huh? Did you see that I went to a movie premiere last weekend with John Megore? He's just a friend, actually, he's gay but not out of the closet. We had a really great time."

Matt shook his head, "No…didn't see that. Sounds nice, though. What do you actually _do_ at a movie premiere? Just watch the movie or is there more to it?"

"Depending on who you are, you either walk the Red Carpet slowly and pose for pictures along the way and stop for brief interviews or you're shuffled along promptly. Once the event begins, the stars and director usually speak about the movie beforehand and there are usually little snacks or trinkets of some sort on each seat. You want to go sometime? I could arrange that," Charlotte offered.

"Maybe," Matt shrugged, realizing how different their lives had become.

The conversation was both comfortable and awkward as the two caught up. Charlotte asked about Matt's family and was shocked to learn that Erin was about to start Kindergarten and that Emily had passed her driver's test. Sheryl had hired a nanny before Matt left and the nanny seemed to be working out well.

After a couple hours of conversation, Charlotte mentioned, "It's a long drive back to Stanford. Please tell me you planned to stay here tonight."

Matt grimaced and explained, "I was planning to get a hotel room, at least for tonight and maybe for tomorrow night too. It'd be nice to spend some time together, wouldn't it?"

"You're welcome to stay here, Matt," Charlotte insisted.

Shaking his head, Matt explained, "I'm not sure that's appropriate, Charlotte. It doesn't look like you have a guest room."

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte clarified, "Matt, I can sleep out here on the couch and you can have my room. Seriously. Don't be so uptight." Matt just grinned and said nothing, thinking that he'd consider it depending on how the evening progressed. Charlotte suggested they figure out if they were going to stay in or go out for dinner. Matt offered to take her out to dinner on his dime. Together, they considered their options and chose a Peruvian seafood place that offered great food and a casual atmosphere.

Charlotte suggested they could drive in to town and she could show Matt some sights. She left Ivy a note and they headed out. Settling deeply into the familiar Mustang seats, Charlotte again yearned for the past. Matt kept sending mixed signals, pulling her in and then pushing her away. While they were driving, he reached out his hand and clasped hers in it. The peace that washed over Charlotte in those moments were a true gift. Holding Matt's hand and being in the safety and security of his presence slowed her down from the flair and clamor of her new life.

As they walked around the area, Charlotte saw various friends. Each time, she'd introduce Matt as a 'dear friend from home.' Matt held himself well in all the interactions and had no trouble chatting with Charlotte's friends. He began to grasp how well known Charlotte was in the area and pondered what a shift that was for her. On a smaller scale, he'd experienced some notoriety in Seattle his whole life. This was the big time, though, complete with paparazzi and the familiar faces of stars.

After dinner, Matt drove Charlotte home. Charlotte tentatively asked Matt if he wanted to drink. Having loosened up a bit over dinner, he agreed. The two polished off a number of beers and boisterously laughed about old times. Before long, they found themselves wrapped in each other's arms making love in Charlotte's bed.

As Matt caressed her body, he noticed Charlotte was even skinnier than she was the last time they were together. In more than one way, Charlotte was just a shell of who he'd known before. Charlotte found herself nearly in tears as she felt Matt's grasp and ran her fingers along his strong back. Being intimate with Matt was more amazing than any of the sex she'd had with guys since moving to LA. Matt's presence completed her in ways a casual partner could not. For the first time in five months, Charlotte discovered that what she missed most from her previous life in Seattle was authentic relationship and genuine love.


	4. Chapter 4 - What Will We Do With Her

**Chapter 4 –** **Steps**

 **What Will We Do With Her?**

"Whatever you do, please don't give me the loser interns. This year's group is full of duds," Alex groaned as he and Jo entered the hospital.

Jo laughed, "Well, what do you know, maybe being married to the Chief Resident has its perks, huh? Who do you want on your service? I'll see what I can do."

Alex described, "I like that one tall guy with the big nose."

"Mark Paulson? Alex, you need to learn their names. When he's in surgery with you, are you really going to say, 'Hey big nose guy…'?" Jo admonished as they approached the Interns' locker room.

"I might," Alex grinned as he slapped her butt. "Now go in there and growl. Snarl. Make them fear you. Grrrr." Jo laughed as she shook her head in response and quickly changed her expression to a serious and somber one.

"Listen up, people. New rotations begin today," Jo announced as she encountered the clueless interns who had just completed six weeks of hell. "Markel – Torres. Jules – Grey. Marin – Shepherd. Winston – Robbins. Paulson – you're with Dr. Karev. Everyone else is in the Pit. Let's go."

Paulson and Winston approached Jo. Winston was a sexist man who didn't appreciate learning from women. Although he didn't know it, he was about to be cut from the program. Paulson was simply confused about which Karev.

Winston offered with syrupy, nauseating charm, "Dr. Jo, I'm sorry but working with Dr. Robbins is simply not acceptable for me. I've explained to you numerous times I am here to learn how to be a male surgeon by being with other male surgeons." Winston never called the female doctors by their last names.

Jo looked at Winston flatly, "Winston. You have a choice to make. Go bust your ass on Robbins' service and impress the hell out of her or walk out of this hospital and never come back. And by the way, I am NOT Dr. Jo. I am Dr. Karev. Get it straight and get out of my sight."

After Winston left the room, Jo shook her head and took in a deep breath, surprised she'd finally stood up to the sexist pig. She pursed her lips lightly and said to Paulson, "You have an issue too?"

"N…No issue, Dr. Karev. I'm just requesting clarification. Am I on your service or your husband's?" Paulson asked.

Jo attempted her best Miranda Bailey impression and asked Paulson, "The other interns were assigned to attendings: Robbins, Torres, Grey and Shepherd. Which Karev do you think I meant?"

Paulson nodded and declared, "I'm on my way to the NICU. Thank you, Dr. Karev." Jo, now alone in the locker room, sighed audibly and took a look at herself in the mirror. She smiled and fluffed her hair, proclaiming, "Not bad, Wilson. Not bad." While nobody else was allowed to call her Dr. Wilson, that was still the way she referred to herself internally.

Jo stepped out of the locker room and Danielle Rosen, now a 3rd year resident, approached her. "Dr. Karev?"

Jo grinned, "Hi. What's up?"

"I feel a little awkward about this, but I was reading People magazine…" Rosen began.

Jo jested, "I'd feel a little awkward admitting that too, Rosen. What does this have to do with your medical training?"

"Please hear me out," Rosen smiled. "I spotted these pictures of your daughter, so I swiped the magazine from the lobby. I thought you might want to see them."

Jo reached out and placed the magazine under the clipboard she was holding in her hand. "Thanks, Rosen, that was thoughtful."

Elsewhere in the hospital, Winston was in fine form as he paged through a magazine a nurse had left behind. He was determined to avoid Arizona at all costs and was currently pretending to not be able to locate her. Alex walked up with a chart in hand and lowered his eyebrows, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Excuse me, Dr. Karev?" Winston asked innocently.

"Whose service are you on today?" Karev growled. "They're obviously not keeping you busy enough."

"Ah…I'm waiting for Dr. Robbins," Winston offered with a smug grin. "She is nowhere to be found." Winston flipped the page and Alex spotted a highly makeuped, suggestively clad version of his daughter in a full page ad for shampoo.

Alex reached over the counter and grabbed the magazine, shouting at Winston, "Dr. Robbins is in OR 3, where you should be. Get your ass in there and go learn something from one of the best surgeons in this hospital." As Winston scurried off and Paulson approached, Alex stared at the picture of Charlotte. Her nipples were covered, but her cleavage was popping out for the world to see and her skirt barely covered her ass. The seductive and flirty face stared back suggestively at her father in full defiance. Paulson, seeing what Alex was staring at but not knowing the picture was of Karev's daughter, thought he was interrupting a session of Karev inappropriately ogling in the hallway. Paulson cleared his throat to make his presence known. Alex grumbled loudly, "What?"

"I'm on your service today, Dr. Karev." Paulson shared.

"Great," Alex roared. "Your first job is to call my daughter's agent and find out why the hell this picture was published." Alex stomped off toward Peds as he threw the magazine into Paulson's chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

"Dr. Karev…" Paulson begged as he approached Jo a few minutes later.

Jo sighed with exasperation as she paused from writing on the OR board, "Yes, Paulson. Does the other Dr. Karev know you're down here?"

"Ma'am…I'm in over my head here. I'm not sure how to proceed, and, ummm…frankly, I'm a little uncomfortable asking for your assistance." Paulson admitted.

Staring right into his eyes without an expression, Jo folded her arms and declared, "Get over yourself, Paulson or you'll get eaten alive in this program. What's the problem?"

"Ma'am, Dr. Karev was particularly angry when I saw him a few minutes ago…" Paulson began.

Jo interrupted, "He's always like that. Get used to it." She turned back to the OR board, assuming she'd addressed Paulson's issue.

Paulson insisted, "No, Ma'am. I know that about him. That's not the issue." He placed the magazine in front of Jo's face and said, "Dr. Karev told me my first job was to contact his daughter's…your daughter's agent and find out why this was published."

Jo sighed deeply and looked at Paulson, offering, "That's not your job, Mark. I'm sorry he threw this your way. Would you prefer to be reassigned for the day or do you want to face the bear when he's in attack mode?"

"Dr. Karev, I'm fine being on his service. He's a fine surgeon. I just honestly didn't know what to do about his instructions. Looking at the picture, I was guessing that ignoring his request was unadvisable," Mark disclosed.

Jo nodded and informed Paulson, "Dr. Karev was just paged to a trauma in the Pit. Go join him down there. If he mentions this again, let him know I'm handling the situation."

Proceeding to a nearby supply closet, Jo walked in and locked the door. She leaned her head against one of the shelves and began crying. Her emotions had been all over the place lately and this picture of Charlotte was the straw that broke the camel's back. As she began to catch her breath, she sat down on the floor and leaned her back on the shelves. She pulled out the magazine that Rosen had shared with her earlier, only to see pictures of Charlotte in a section entitled _Around Hollywood This Week._ In one corner, Charlotte was playfully photobombing a picture of some of her friends and was without a doubt drunk and likely high. In another corner on the opposite page was a picture of Matt and Charlotte chatting with some stars on a sidewalk in Hollywood. She didn't appear to be inebriated, but her outfit was particularly unappealing and matched her 3 ½" heels. "Oh, Charlotte…dammit," Jo fretted as she took in all the photos. She dialed Sasha's direct number and left a voicemail, then she dialed Charlotte's number.

"Mama Bear, hey there!" Charlotte exclaimed with bubbly joy.

Seriously and angrily, Jo greeted her daughter, "Charlotte Sophia Karev."

"Oh shit, what's wrong?" Charlotte reacted with borderline sarcasm.

"You. Tell. Me." Jo began. "In the last hour, I've had two students hand me magazines with your pictures in them."

Charlotte giggled and suggested simplistically, "Mom…I'm a model. Seeing my picture in a magazine means I'm gainfully employed and doing my job."

"Cut the crap, Charlotte," Jo yelled. She was at the end of her rope and didn't have time for Charlotte's charm.

"Woah…woah…hey. What's the problem?" Charlotte asked.

Jo growled and shared, "Charlotte, I'm looking at the _This Week in Hollywood_ pages and at an ad for shampoo where your boobs are falling out of your teeny tiny dress."

"I haven't seen either of those yet," Charlotte explained trying to sound innocent as if she wouldn't recall posing for any shampoo ads due to her overly booked schedule.

"Which would you prefer, Charlotte, that I head down to LA or that your dad do so?" Jo asked.

"I'm a little confused here. I answer the phone and hear your voice for the first time in weeks. I haven't talked to my lovely Mama Bear in _forever._ Then, when we _do_ talk, you scream at me. And now you're threatening me? What the f #$, Mom?" Charlotte shouted resentfully.

"If I were standing in front of you right now, little miss, I have no doubt I would slap you across the face," Jo warned.

"A hell of a lot of good that would do, Jo," Charlotte argued, hitting her adoptive mother where it hurt.

Jo took a deep breath, finally realizing there was little she could do from Seattle. Delegating discipline over the phone was far from ideal, but was her only immediate option. Mama Bear inquired, "Is Ivy there?"

"Nuh-uh. She ran to the store," Charlotte lied. Actually, Ivy was hung over and still asleep.

Jo's phone buzzed and she pulled it away to see that it was Alex. "I'll call you back, Charlotte. I need to take another call," Jo stated as she switched lines. "Hey…"

"What the hell is going on?" Alex growled.

"Stop. Right. There. You are not going to yell at me, Alexander Michael. Do you understand? I'm locked in a supply closet trying not to lose it, leaving messages for Sasha, arguing with Charlotte, and ignoring my job. Don't you dare snarl at me," Jo asserted.

"Ok, already. Enough with the full name crap," Alex declared. "Where are you? I'll come to you."

A few minutes later, Alex knocked on the door, saying, "Hey…it's me."

Jo opened the door and handed him the People magazine. "What are we going to do?"

"First, I'm going to kill her. Then, you can hide the body. Deal?" Alex said with a grin trying to lighten the tension. Jo laughed through the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

Continuing, Alex suggested, "Let's take a deep breath. It's not cool that she was drunk, but it had to have been at least a week ago if it's in a magazine now. You just talked to her, so we know she's fine today. The outfits are a nightmare, but you just talked to her, so, again, we know she's fine today, right?" Jo nodded. "You called Sasha and left a message. Let's wait to hear from her. In the meantime, I'll call Charlotte back and deal with her. I'll take care of this crap, so you can go be the amazing Chief Resident you already are." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, then smiled at her. "Go set the world on fire, Dr. Wonder Woman."


End file.
